Michael Johnson (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the federal seat of Ryan, which I have the great pleasure and great honour of representing in the Australian parliament, I join with the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and colleagues in the Australian parliament in extending my personal condolences to the family of Sean McCarthy. As the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition together said so very eloquently in the parliament yesterday, and as the nation’s Minister for Defence has just alluded to, he was a remarkable man. As such, Sean McCarthy is honoured by all of us here in the parliament for his service to our country and for paying the ultimate price with his life. Signaller Sean McCarthy was a member of the elite SAS. He was one of those men who stood out amongst other men for his remarkable physical attributes and for his character, which is one of the features of those who are selected for this very elite group of men who wear the Australian uniform.

Signaller Sean McCarthy was only 25 years old. He was a man who loved rugby. He was a soldier who died wearing the Australian uniform and under the flag of our great country. He was killed when a bomb exploded near his vehicle while he was serving in Afghanistan. Personnel who served with Signaller McCarthy, who was also known as ‘Seano’, said that he was ‘a bloody good bloke’ and a very talented soldier. One of his Army mates, Aaron Pearce, said that Signaller McCarthy loved a joke, loved taking care of children and would never let a friend down. Never letting a friend down is a characteristic of Australians. It is perhaps an especially powerful characteristic of those who wear the uniform of our country and perhaps an even more powerful characteristic of those who wear the uniform of the SAS. Signaller McCarthy is the sixth Australian soldier to die in Afghanistan since 2002 and tragically, of course, the second this year. He joined the Army in 2001 and began serving in the SAS Regiment in January 2007. He served his first tour in Afghanistan later that year and was posted to East Timor earlier this year before being sent back to Afghanistan.

I want to let the people of Ryan know that I had the unique privilege of meeting the President of Afghanistan in May in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, when I attended the World Economic Forum there. I asked Hamid Karzai what he would say about the death of any Australian to constituents who live in my electorate of Ryan, whose emotions might be so profound that they would question the presence of an Australian in uniform in his country. His remark to me was very simple and very profound. He said that Australians were doing great things in Afghanistan and that the people of Afghanistan just wanted what we in Australia had. I asked him what it was that we in Australia have that his people wanted. President Karzai said to me, ‘Our people want freedom to live in peace, just like the people that you represent, Michael.’ I was very touched by that and by the context and tone in which he put it. It was very simple, very eloquent, very compelling and very profound.

So I would say to the people of Ryan and the families, friends, neighbours and loved ones of Signaller Sean McCarthy, and indeed all those other Australians who have died in tragic circumstances and terrible circumstances wearing the Australian uniform in Afghanistan, in Iraq and in all other theatres of conflict around the world, that they are doing a very unique thing; they are doing something which I suspect very few in this place and very few in our country would have the capacity to do. I think it takes a very special person to sign up to the Army, Navy and Air Force of our country. As the son of a man who wore the uniform of the special forces of his country, and as the grandson of a man who fought the Japanese in World War II, I think that my father and my grandfather were special individuals as well. My grandfather paid the ultimate price. He was tortured by the Japanese. He is a man I never met. My mother tells me that he was an incredible person, an incredible individual, who served and fought for freedom in the context in which he did in the 20th century.

I make those remarks because I can only think that Signaller Sean McCarthy of the SAS must have been a very remarkable person. He was not someone I knew, but anyone who wears the uniform of the SAS must be a remarkable individual. On his previous tour in Afghanistan, Signaller McCarthy was recognised by the Special Operations commander for his courage, his focus and his professionalism. His mission was to try and do his bit to bring about peace and stability in that part of the world. He received a specific commendation for maintaining his presence of mind and an excellent soldier’s skills while in contact with the enemy.

Australia has obligations to be a very good global citizen by helping out our friends in times of need. As President Hamid Karzai said to me when I had that unique opportunity of meeting him not as a minister of the Crown, not as a senior member of this parliament but just as the federal member for Ryan, he wanted to pass on his thanks to the previous government, to the current government and to those who have enormous responsibility to make decisions that involve putting the lives of Australians at risk. The times demand that Australians step up to the plate, and we have done so with remarkable skill, remarkable professionalism and remarkable dignity but also with compassion. It seems to be a thread that runs through all who wear the uniform of our services that they also have that capacity to be compassionate no matter which theatre of conflict they find themselves in.

So, on behalf of the people of Ryan, I express my thanks to Sean McCarthy and my condolences to his family, friends and all those who knew and loved him.

I want to end my remarks by also saying that I have just had the opportunity of speaking to some grade 7 students from the Moggill State School. The occasion was their visit to the Australian War Memorial, where they had the unique opportunity and privilege to lay a wreath to honour those that came before them. It was a very special opportunity for me to see grade 7 students, who have marvellous lives ahead of them, get to really understand at this stage of their life that the Australian War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are very profound places in this country. They were very touched by the red poppies all around them. So I say to them: thank you for making the trip from the western suburbs of Brisbane. Moggill State School has a tradition of sending grade 7 students to Canberra, to their nation’s capital, and it is a tradition which I very much support and encourage. I also encourage all other schools, not only those in my electorate of Ryan but also those throughout the country, to perhaps initiate that tradition. For those who have been to the Australian War Memorial, it is a place that is very touching. It is something that is very significant to me, as the son and grandson of two men who in different times and different theatres wore the uniform. I thank the school for the invitation that came my way to be part of that special ceremony and I thank the students for doing their bit to honour those who have served and made enormous sacrifices and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

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